W8 Active Earth

Hanoi University | Distance Education Centre
Speaking Session 7
OUR
ACTIVE EARTH
By Dung Thuy Nguyen (M.A.)
TRACK 2.20
Living in Japan means knowing a lot about earthquakes. The country experiences an average of 1,500
earthquakes every year! Not all of these are major earthquakes. However, one very large earthquake in the
ocean near Japan caused a tsunami in the year 2011.
Today, some Japanese people avoid thinking about the horror and sadness of the tsunami of 2011. But a
photographer from Argentina went to Japan in 2016 with the goal of helping survivors think about the tsunami
in new ways.
Traveling around the world is nothing new to Alejandro Chaskielberg. He has taken pictures and won awards
for his photos in several different countries. In Japan, he asked people to consider returning to the places they
lived or the places they went before the tsunami. He took new photographs of the people in those places, since
many old photographs had been lost or destroyed. According to Chaskielberg, taking these photos “...was a
way to help them create new memories.”
EXTRA LISTENING
Tom, U.K.: I was in a typhoon in Hong Kong, and I just arrived with a big heavy backpack, and I had to hide in a
telephone box while the street flooded and the water came up around me.
Jess, U.K.: Natural disaster? No, I haven't been been in a natural disaster. Unfortunately I was very close to a
bomb which went off in Manchester when I was about sixteen years old, which was quite scary, but probably not
as scary as a tsunami or a typhoon or something.
George, U.S.: Oh, yes, yes. I have been in a natural disaster. I forget what year but Hurricane Yuniki in Hawaii,
but I lived on Ohau so we got the eye of the hurricane so it wasn't like harsh at all. In fact, I remember when it hit,
I remember telling my parents, I wanted to go out and fly a kite because it looked so nice outside, so it wasn't
really that bad of an experience for me.
Pernais, Jamaica: Yes, I have. I've been in a fire. A really big one actually. It was just very scary. There was just
smoke everywhere, and I couldn't see anything. My eyes were hurting. I was choking, and I really thought I was
going to die, but I was rescued by an old man passing by.
EXTRA LISTENING
Mike, Singapore: OK, have I been in a natural disaster? Well, I've actually seen one happen while I was driving,
and this was along I think the coast. I think it's called the Pacific Ocean Highway, if I'm not wrong. Anyway, there
was in December 2004 I think, it was ... there was a big landslide during a the raining season in Los Angeles, and
while I was driving I actually saw it, and then I didn't know what was damaged, but it was all over the news, and
then it was bad.
Doron, U.K.: Yeah, actually, I was staying with friends in Norway and we were camping and we got hit by a
blizzard and it was really frightening, but luckily I was with some big Viking Norwegian guys, and they knew
exactly what to do, because I didn't. It was really ... you couldn't see anything. It was so white and the snow was
so heavy and it actually hurt quite a lot, and it didn't help that it was absolutely freezing.
GROUP TASK
Make group presentation about a natural disaster
that you have experienced or heard about
Your presentation may include the following information:

+ what it was
+ where it happened
+ when it happened
+ why it happened
+ how people reacted when they heard about that disaster
+ what people should or should not do when that natural disaster occur
SAMPLE ANSWER
Well, we would like to talk about the “historical flood” that happened in Hanoi a decade ago, 2008. This must be the year that
Hanoians can never forget.
It is memorable because the rain was so heavy and lasted for many days consecutively that inundated many streets of Hanoi. I
can say, it terrified the people seriously. The rain was considered heaviest in the last 100 years, which caused people to suffer
from a lot of damage. Precipitation reached a record high and almost all activities were paused to ensure the safety of both
people and property.
According to statistics, many families even suffered from inundation as high level of water flew into their houses. Offices or
schools had to make emergency announcement to let their employees and students be at home to avoid any potential accidents
that may caused by the pouring rain. Life then had a lot of disturbance and people had to wait until it stopped raining. The rain
triggered inconvenience for people in different fields as high death toll was recorded, traffic was in no order or people stood a
high chance of dangerous epidemics. Luckily, after a few days, life began to come back to the way it was thanks to concerted
effort of both local authority and many people of the city.
THANKS FOR
LISTENING!
If you have any questions, please contact me at dungnted@hanu.edu.vn

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